The National Palace Museum of Korea (Director Kim, In-Gyu) of the Cultural Heritage Administration, together with Sudo Institute of Cultural Heritage (Director Oh, Kyong-Taek), holds a special exhibition under the title Encounter with the Brilliant Scientific Technology of the Joseon Dynasty, from November 3rd to December 31st,. at the Special Exhibition GalleryⅡon the 1st floor of the museum, to exhibit all 1,775 pieces of artifacts excavated at the Insadong site last June. This exhibition is sponsored by LG Household & Healthcare, The Story of Whoo. Since the excavation in June from the Insadong site was reported in the media, the found artifacts received so much attention from the public. This exhibition answers to such enthusiasm and aims to present the relic to the public for everyone to enjoy.

The exhibition is made of two parts. ▲Part 1‘Metal Type of Early Joseon Dynasty Unearthed at the Insadong Excavation Site’, and ▲Part 2 ‘Excavated Artifacts and the Study of Meteorology in Early Joseon Dynasty’.

▲Part 1 greets the visitors with a pottery jar that was found broken, which contained 1600 pieces of metal type. 1300 pieces of metal type that require further research to find out when they were made are exhibited on one side of the exhibition hall. On the other side, other pieces of metal type with known production years are exhibited.

Of the latter group, 48 Metal type of 1434 which was made in 1434 under King Sejong’s orders (Year 16 of King Sejong), 42 Metal type of 1455 (Year 1 of King Sejo) and 214 Metal type of 1465 (Year 11 of King Sejo) are on display. Of the found metal type, Chinese character ‘火’meaning‘fire’and‘陰’meaning‘shadow, silence’can be cross-checked in the Geunsarok (Reflections on Things at Hand近思錄, 1435, Treasure, National Palace Museum of Korea), which is already confirmed to have been printed using the Metal type of 1434. The two letter type‘火’and ‘陰’along with additional 48 metal types with the same form and shape are exhibited alongside the aforementioned book. Metal type of 1455 has been cross-checked against Neungeomgyeong (The Sutra of the Heroic One, 1461, Treasure, Courtesy of Seoul Museum of History) and Metal type of 1465 against Wongakgyeong (The Complete Enlightenment Sutra, 1465, Treasure, Courtesy of Horim Museum), are also displayed in the same manner. At various locations, magnifying glasses and tablets with photos of the artifacts have been placed to invite the visitors to take an even closer look at the small metal type. The Hanging Board of the Type Casting Office, Jujaso and the Hanging Board with the History of Type Casting will also be on display.

▲Part 2 exhibits excavated artifacts that demonstrate the scientific endeavors and the achievements of the early Joseon Dynasty. The most important artifact in this section is the Sun-and-Star Time Determining Instrument, which uses the shadows made by the sun during the day and the stars at night to tell the time. Up until now, the instrument existed only in the records. This excavation brought the instrument back to life. Although one out of the three rings is not complete, we can still envision how it would have looked like when they were in actual use. Next to the newest addition, we also exhibit the Simplified Sundial (National Palace Museum of Korea), which will help the visitors understand how the Sun-and-Star Time Determining Instrument works. The Simplified Sundial is made of three parts; a round ring with time indicating marks around it, a metal base and holder, and a stone pedestal. It is the first time that all three parts of the Simplified Sundial will meet the public. The Internal Component of Self-striking Water Clock was also unearthed. It is a rectangular metal plate with round holes on it in regular intervals. The Self-striking Water Clock has a doll that notifies the time. The discovered component is used to release marbles that will activate the movement of this doll. A video clip showing where the found component belongs to in the Self-striking Water Clock, and how it functions, will be played next to the exhibited artifact.

Among the excavated artifacts from Insadong, one Hand Cannon (1583) and seven small Hand Cannons (1588) will be displayed with a clear description of when they were made, by whom, how much it weighs and how much gun powder it must use; as these facts are engraved on the cannon body. Pieces of a Copper Bell, marked to have been made in 1535, and different types of Metal Coins are also on exhibit.
The finale of the exhibition showcases a video showing how a typical day on the excavation site is like, with the lively voices of the experts who participated in the excavation project. Along the vivid ambiance sounds of the project site, the visitors will also be entertained with special music performed by Park Dawool, who received much attention at a band competition program. Park Dawool composed a new piece of music for this exhibition, embedding the meaning of the found artifacts and the excavation site. In the second week of November, recorded performance by the artist himself in the exhibition hall will be uploaded on the Youtube channels of the Cultural Heritage Administration and the National Palace Museum of Korea.

Additional print material and online content will be provided to make the exhibition viewing experience even more enriching. The exhibition catalog and digital images of the excavated artifacts can be downloaded from the National Palace Museum of Korea’s homepage. And in the second week of November, two more video clips on the behind-the-stage stories of the excavation and the curator’exhibition commentary will be uploaded on the Museum’s Youtube. Special VR showing the entire exhibition hall, explanations of the artifacts and related photos will also be provided.

This exhibition aims to first, bring all of the excavated artifacts to meet the general public, and second, to provide an opportunity for collecting basic data for further investigation and research. We hope you will enjoy this exhibition as you meet the magnificent scientific artifacts from early Joseon that have finally come to shine